The Endeavour is perhaps Australia's most significant ship after taking Cook on his voyage to Australia and the South Pacific from 1768-71.

The vessel later was renamed the Lord Sandwich and had a less impressive role as a British transport ship.RIMAP founder Dr Kathy Abbass located historical documents in London that guided her team to the general area in Newport Harbour where they believe the Lord Sandwich was deliberately sunk by the British in 1778 during the American War of Independence.

Silt in the harbour may have helped preserve the vessel.

RIMAP began studying sunken British transports in Newport Harbor in 1993 with a remote sensing survey.

There were 13 potential vessels that could have been the Endeavour but the search has recently narrowed to possibly "one or two archaeological sites", RIMAP said in a press release.

Captain James Cook's ship Date: 1768

AAP

The archaeologists will release a 3D photogrammetric image on Friday of a promising site located in an area just off the Goat Island shore near Gurneys Resort.

Despite the historical significance to Australia, it is likely the Endeavour, if found, will remain in Rhode Island.